Rural nursing - who is hiring? Training/orientation process??

i just found this thread for rural nursing and you cannot imagine how happy i am!!!

i currently live in a large city with way too many tourists coming to visit from all over the world. my old classmates and coworkers (nurses) cannot understand my interest in rural nursing. it is really hard to explain to someone that has only worked at large facilities that i feel my calling is in a smaller facility, where the focus is on the patient/patient care rather than "...who (staff) is doing what to who (other staff), who (staff) just received "more" nursing creditials to place after their name (but has the worst bedside manner!!)...etc..." this is, all too often, what i have seen at the larger facilities in the larger cities.

i am interested in the smaller cities/counties and would like to do rural nursing. i am currently in the process of submitting applications for the government --indian health services and v.a. facilities-- but would also like to find out more about facilities outside of the federal government system. i have reviewed many of the threads within this rural nursing category but find that many posts do not identify their facility name or where you are working. it makes it hard to determine how to appropriately make contact with human resources or search online facility websites without the facility name.

with rural nursing, i like the idea of being at a facility where everyone must work as a team (it's not an option!) and having the ability to learn about all medical areas, med/surg, er, l&d, primary care and emergency care... at any given time. i would prefer to be the "multi-functional" nurse rather than be the nurse that has experience in only one speciality area (...and can't work any where else if census is low and is being pulled to another unit for a night/shift...). as someone in another post stated, as a rural nurse, "...you are a jack of all trades and a master of none..."i like that description! rather than specialize, i would prefer to be the "jack of all trades" in the nursing environment.

i am back on the east coast right now; but i am willing to relocate any where in the u.s. if at all possible, could you please provide me the name of the rural facility (hospital or ltc) you work at that may be interested in hiring nurses/new grads rn with less than 1-year of experience??!!?? also, if you can, please let me know what city/state your facility is in. if you are aware of what the new grad/new hire orientation process consists of, please let me know. having the facility name, i can easily search online for contact phone numbers and facility websites later.

any information you can provide regarding rural nursing facilities and possible new nurse/new grad job openings, will be greatly appreciated.

You should definetly consider joining the USPHS-- usphs.gov. It is quasi military- all the benefits but none of the long deployments. You basically would want to work at IHS hospitals (your detailed to IHS but your are employed by PHS). THey have a ton of rural hospitals ANd if you want really rural, you can work in Alaska where they have lots of positions in the bush. Search the boards for USPHS and you should find a detailed email from me describing the process and the good and bad.

Well you are on the right track with Indian Health Service hospitals. The number of positions they have can be overwhelming and you never know if they are willing to take on a new grad unless you call the facility directly and ask. Sometime you will see "Nurse Trainee" positions. They don't have a formal new grad residency so it may not say anything in the job announcement that is why it is really good to just talk to the nurse recruiter at the hospital directly. Pick a state you would like to live in and then look at all the facilities you might be interested in.. then go from there. Many times jobs are not posted but there are positions available-- especially in isolated areas like CHinle, AZ and dulce, NM....

I've been interested in the rural nursing for quite a bit of time, have even discussed with a few of my Native American friends the possibility of IHS. A few have warned against it though as I am not Native American and Native Americans are preferred over green eyed blondes for employment in IHS. Any truth to this statement?

It's not based on you "Looking white". It is based on the knowledge that people of American Indian descent have not had the same opportunities as the rest of us. There is poverty, alcoholism, and high teenage pregnancy, in many reservations and the stats for the kids going to college is sadly low. So you really don't have that much competition if you are in the medical field (nursing, dental hygienist, etc)
Are they going to pick an American Indian over you if you are qualified and they aren't- No, they will hire you. If you and the other interviewee are on equal grounds? Yes, they will hire him/ her over you.
If you want an experience close to international health but closer to home go to IHS in a rural area.

ONe last thing-- This is not something they do secretly. WHen you apply to any position they say AMerican Indians will have preference-- Just like if you ever apply to a VA hospital - Veteran's have a point system preference. They will always get the job/ promotion over a non-veteran if the candidates are equal in other ways.

THAT is probably what my friends were referring to as the other didn't make a great deal of sense.

Have you worked in IHS? Would you recommend any particular state, area over another? Does IHS have homehealth care systems? Is patient care micromanaged to the point there is little patient care but paperwork shuffling?

I understand its the gov't... there is always paperwork shuffling, poor question.

I don't have direct experience in IHS in Nursing. I was detailed with another agency via the USPHS but many of my coworkers had been employees in IHS - doctors, pharmacists, but no nurses. It all depends what you want as far as climate and rural/urban. You are limited as far as large urban hospitals-- IHS in PHoenix comes to mind. Possibilities are limitless if you want a rural, tiny hospital in AK,OK, NM, AZ, and the Dakotas. Home health I think maybe part of the community health nurse position but not sure. If you are a new grad, they will probably tell you to get 2 years in med/surg floor nursing first

smn2009-I am a new grad working in a 25 bed hospital in rural Vermont. The facility has an AMAZING new grad orientation and really invests in their nurses. I do not know what their hiring needs are right now but you sound like someone that would really thrive in our environment. North Country Hospital in Newport, Vermont is where I am. Good luck, I am sure you will by dynamite wherever you land!!

[font=book antiqua]luv2run...
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[font=book antiqua]congrats on completing your rn program and starting your new job!!!!
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[font=book antiqua]thank you for the response. i just checked and north country has a very nice website. while i did not see any current positions available for new grads, i will probably be sending a cover letter with my resume to the facility recruiter/head of nursing.
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[font=book antiqua]i really don't have any preference as to "where" i work as a rural nurse, i am open to any state. i am sure i can get used to the cold/snow just as well as heat/desert so location is something i can adapt to. i am more interested in working in a smaller facility where i will gain valuable experience in all areas versus a larger facility and only being familiar with cardiac/tele, ob, med/surg, etc. i am optimistic and know that i will find the right place (facility) or me. i just have to be patient.
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[font=book antiqua]i just realized that not too many people/members respond to the "rural nurse" section of the allnurses site so i thank so, so, much for you response. it was (is) greatly appreciated.
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[font=book antiqua]some of the rural facilities do not even have internet web sites and those that do, say nothing about new rn hires. i hope others, like you, will respond to my thread so that i can become more familiar with the rural facilities and their new grad rn orientations.
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[font=book antiqua]again, congrats on your new job. i am sure you will do well!!

smn2009-I am a new grad working in a 25 bed hospital in rural Vermont. The facility has an AMAZING new grad orientation and really invests in their nurses. I do not know what their hiring needs are right now but you sound like someone that would really thrive in our environment. North Country Hospital in Newport, Vermont is where I am. Good luck, I am sure you will by dynamite wherever you land!!

Hi luv2runRNnow! This post might be a bit old but I would like to know if you're still working in North Country Hospital and how is the hospital as to co workers, the management, the mentoring and the hospital in general. It sounds to be so attractive to work there the way I read their website. But as I've read in some discussions in this forum, there are some part of Vermont who are not really welcoming other races. Is Newport one of them? How many months do they train nurses who doesn't have an experience in such special field like ER, Med-Surg etc. Does the hospital demand a year of working commitment to be accepted for the job? And lastly, do you have any idea how much is their starting offer for nurses without experience? I'm so sorry to ask you all of these questions but it's just because I don't know anybody to ask for all of these questions. Thank you very much for your time.